of the Marmots of Worth America. 583 



length of the body, rather bushy, with dark brown hairs. 

 Feet and claws black ; the latter long and sharp. 



The description is formed from the characters and figures 

 given by the different authors referred to : I have not been able 

 to obtain a specimen from which to correct it. 



The animal inhabits the more temperate parts of North Ame- 

 rica, Pennsylvania, Maryland and Virginia ; and is also found 

 in the Bahama Islands. It feeds on roots, fruits and vcgetablrs. 

 Lives under ground or in holes of trees, and is said to sleep 

 during the winter season. 



Catesby in 1743 described and figured this species as au inha- 

 bitant of the Bahamas; his figure has much resemblance to a 

 large Rat, and is certainly very unlike what the animal is repre- 

 sented really to be by subsequent authors. In the Appendix 

 to his work it is again mentioned among the Quadrupeds of 

 North America as a different animal. This mistake led Klein 

 and Brisson to make two species, founded on the two accounts 

 of Catesby. Erxleben united their references, and thus corrected 

 their error. 



Edwards in 1747, without a knowledge of Catesby 's account, 

 described the animal from a living specimen belonging to Sir 

 Hans Sloane, and published a good figure of it, supposing it to 

 have been previous^ unknown ; the colour of the body of this 

 figure is probably too light. Linnaeus formed his character of 

 the species from Edwards, and did not refer to any other work 

 in the 10th edition of his Systema Satura ; in the 12th edition 

 he only added to his former account a description of the animal 

 received from his pupil Alstroemer. 



Pennant in his Synopsis of Quadrupeds (the first edition of the 

 work which he subsequently called a Histoiy of Quadrupeds), 

 named the animal the Maryland Marmot, the one described and 



4 r 2 figured 



